Relating to the care, custody, and display of the letter known as the victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence.
LowStandard timeline
Low Cost
Effective:2025-06-20
Enforcing Agencies
State Preservation Board • Texas Historical Commission • Texas State Library and Archives Commission
01
Compliance Analysis
Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation
Implementation Timeline
Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect due to supermajority vote).
Compliance Deadline: Immediate. All current contracts and insurance policies regarding these documents must now recognize the SPB as the controlling legal entity.
Agency Rulemaking: The SPB is mandated to publish a comprehensive display plan by December 1, 2027. Between now and then, a "regulatory gray zone" exists regarding the specific security standards required to move the Travis Letter to the Alamo.
Immediate Action Plan
Audit Vendor Contracts: Immediately review all active agreements involving state historical artifacts to determine if the counterparty is TSLAC; if so, initiate contact with SPB Legal Counsel.
Update Insurance Riders: Contact your underwriter to ensure coverage extends to assets under the custody of the State Preservation Board.
Redirect Government Relations: Cease all lobbying or application efforts with TSLAC regarding these documents; direct all inquiries to the SPB Executive Director.
Monitor SPB Meetings: Track the SPB's upcoming agenda for the definition of "safe and appropriate" standards to anticipate construction change orders at the Alamo.
Operational Changes Required
Contracts
Existing service agreements with TSLAC regarding the conservation, transport, or security of these three specific documents are effectively obsolete. Vendors must execute contract novations or new agreements with the State Preservation Board. Construction contracts for the Alamo Complex must be reviewed to ensure they meet SPB-defined "secure display" standards, which may differ from previous General Land Office or TSLAC specifications.
Hiring/Training
Security personnel assigned to the Alamo Complex or transport logistics for these items must be briefed on SPB-specific protocols. Standard museum security clearance levels may be insufficient; expect requirements for higher-level background checks or specific handling certifications for these high-value state assets.
Reporting & Record-Keeping
Logistics providers must implement a rigid chain-of-custody log that documents the transfer of liability from TSLAC to SPB. Any entity hosting these documents (under the temporary display provision) must maintain environmental monitoring logs (temperature/humidity/lux) that report directly to the SPB, not TSLAC.
Fees & Costs
While the state anticipates no fiscal impact, private sector partners should anticipate increased insurance premiums. The "Victory or Death" letter is a priceless asset; standard Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies are insufficient. Vendors must secure Fine Art/Specie riders with limits approved by the SPB.
Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations
The law conditions the transfer of the Travis Letter to the Alamo on a determination that the location is "safe and appropriate," without defining those metrics.
Construction Risk: Contractors at the Alamo face potential scope creep if the SPB and the Texas Historical Commission disagree on security specifications.
Loan Duration: The statute allows loans to other museums for a "limited period" but fails to define this timeframe. Museums cannot reliably plan exhibition schedules until the SPB defines via rulemaking whether "limited" means 30 days or 6 months.
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On February 24, 1836, William B. Travis, with the garrison surrounded and the Texan Army at the Alamo outnumbered, wrote one of the most famous letters in American history addressed "To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World." This letter was a passionate plea for aid for the Alamo garrison and ended with "Victory or Death." Currently, the victory or death letter is in the care and custody of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), and on very few occasions has been escorted by the Department of Public Safety to the Alamo Grounds for display to the people of Texas and the world. In June 2023, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law the more than $400 million appropriations request contained within the state budget for the Alamo Plan, supporting the comprehensive restoration and revitalization efforts of the Alamo and the opening of a state-of-the art Alamo Visitor Center and Museum. The bill author has informed the committee that, with the Alamo Plaza under renovation to commemorate and remember the Battle of the Alamo and its legacy, it would be appropriate to bring the victory or death letter home to its place of origin. C.S.H.B. 1397 seeks to address this issue by establishing that TSLAC is responsible for the care and custody of the Texas Constitution, the Texas Declaration of Independence, and the victory or death letter, and by requiring TSLAC to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo Complex to securely transfer and display the letter.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 1397 amends the Government Code to establish that the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is responsible for the care and custody of the Texas Constitution, the Texas Declaration of Independence, and the victory or death letter written by Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis dated February 24, 1836, and signed "Victory or Death." The bill requires TSLAC to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo complex for the secure display of the victory or death letter and, on the Texas Historical Commission's determination that the transfer to and display of the letter at the Alamo complex is safe and appropriate, to transfer the letter to that location for display. The bill requires TSLAC, until TSLAC designates an appropriate place in the Alamo complex to display the victory or death letter and in collaboration with the Texas Historical Commission determines an appropriate time to securely transfer the letter to that place, to display the letter in the public location at the Capitol Complex at which the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of Independence are displayed. The bill requires TSLAC to collaborate with the Texas Historical Commission and State Preservation Board (SPB) to determine an appropriate public location at the Capitol Complex for the secure display of the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of Independence.
C.S.H.B. 1397 requires costs attributable to the display of the victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence to be paid by TSLAC, using money available to TSLAC for that purpose.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 1397 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
While the introduced established in the Natural Resources Code that the General Land Office (GLO) is responsible for the care and custody of the victory or death letter, the substitute establishes in the Government Code that TSLAC is responsible for the care and custody of the victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence. The substitute revises the introduced version's requirement for the GLO to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo complex for the storage and display of the victory or death letter as follows:
·changes the applicability of the requirement from the GLO to TSLAC;
·changes the requirement to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo complex for the storage and display of the letter, as in the introduced, to a requirement to designate an appropriate place in the Alamo complex for the secure display of the letter; and
·includes a requirement for TSLAC, on the Texas Historical Commission's determination that the transfer to and display of the letter at the Alamo complex is safe and appropriate, to transfer the letter to that location for display.
Accordingly, the substitute omits the introduced version's provision establishing that any power or duty related to the letter formerly vested in another state agency or entity is vested solely in the GLO.
The substitute includes the following requirements that were not in the introduced:
·for TSLAC, until TSLAC designates an appropriate place in the Alamo complex to display the victory or death letter and in collaboration with the Texas Historical Commission determines an appropriate time to securely transfer the letter to that place, to display the letter in the public location at the Capitol Complex at which the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of Independence are displayed;
·for TSLAC to collaborate with the Texas Historical Commission and SPB to determine an appropriate public location at the Capitol Complex for the secure display of the Texas Constitution and the Texas Declaration of Independence; and
·for costs attributable to the display of the victory or death letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence to be paid by TSLAC, using money available to TSLAC for that purpose.
HB1397 immediately transfers legal custody and authority over the "Victory or Death" (Travis) letter, the Texas Constitution, and the Texas Declaration of Independence from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) to the State Preservation Board (SPB). While this has no impact on general commerce, it fundamentally alters contracting, insurance, and liability frameworks for vendors in historical preservation, logistics, security, and construction, as well as museums seeking to display these assets. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect due to supermajority vote).
Q
Who authored HB1397?
HB1397 was authored by Texas Representative Cody Harris during the Regular Session.
Q
When was HB1397 signed into law?
HB1397 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.
Q
Which agencies enforce HB1397?
HB1397 is enforced by State Preservation Board, Texas Historical Commission and Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Q
How urgent is compliance with HB1397?
The compliance urgency for HB1397 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.
Q
What is the cost impact of HB1397?
The cost impact of HB1397 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.
Q
What topics does HB1397 address?
HB1397 addresses topics including historic preservation & museums, libraries & librarians, state symbols, alamo, the and general land office.
Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025
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